Karakuri Burst
by l'lee-chan
Summary: Another story based on Karakuri Burst, my current favourite VOCALOID song. Kagamine Rin and Len are twins who were separated by unfortunate circumstances, and this is a story of their intertwined fates.
1. Chapter 1

**NOTE: Hi there. Thanks for reading my story :) So I know there are already a lot of stories based on 'Karakuri Burst', but hopefully, I have done something different enough. I'm not sure how long the story will be as of yet, nor where it is heading, but I decided I will upload as I go. It will be written mostly in first person, alternating between the point of view or Rin then Len.**

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I covered my ears with my hands as the dreaded sound came closer and closer to the door of my cell. It was the echoing footsteps of my master. Sure enough, I heard soon after the sounds of several bolts being opened and the heavy, metal door creaked open. My eyes were not accustomed to the flood of light that came through, so all I saw was her silhouette in front of a rectangle of white. Her posture was proud and elegant, as usual, and her two long pigtails tumbled down neatly on either side of her head. Her name was Hatsune Miku. I trembled slightly as she stepped through the doorway into my gloomy cell.

"What is that smell in here?" She sniffed distastefully at the air. Day and night melded together as one in the dark dungeon which was completely cut off from the outside, so that I could not remember when was the last time I had gone out and been allowed to wash myself.

With no hesitation at all, she turned sharply and plonked herself onto the only chair in the room, and crossed her legs. I could feel her burning stare on the top of my head, and I shuffled forward to kneel down humbly at her feet. I did not dare to lift my head, so instead stared at the fishnet stockings which wrapped around her slender white legs.

"Ooof." I grunted involuntarily, as her foot came up under my chin, forcing my head up so that I was looking right into those hypnotic, bespectacled teal eyes of hers. They had a certain magnetic quality in them, which drew you in, and I felt like I was drowning in her deep, bottomless gaze. My head started spinning, and my shoulders sagged so that my white furisode slipped a little from my shoulders. Even my jaw felt loose and weak in her presence, so that a small trickle of saliva dribbled down the corner of my mouth. Miku took this all in, and her mouth curled up in a condescending smirk.

"Rin," She purred. "My sweet little puppet."

"Yes, master," I answered obediently. We both knew that I was completely in her control. Already, I could feel my insides becoming restless. My body trembled with longing as she slowly, teasefully, produced a vial from the pocket of her lab coat, containing the only liquid that could quench my thirst. She was reminding me of her power.

It had been this way ever since Miku forced me to undergo her 'experiment'. Initially, five boys and five girls had been chosen to undertake it. Our bodies were injected with a small sequence of artificial DNA, newly developed from Miku's lab. It was a sequence that transformed our ordinary human bodies into something more powerful, with greater reflexes and superior senses. The transformation process had been excruciatingly painful, and in a few days, half of us were dead. And as time wore on, the rest started to lose their minds and their health deteriorated. I do not know if it was a stroke of luck, or a mockery from the heavens, but I had been able to survive the treatment with still some of my humanity left. It had been a long process; at first they had to lock me up, as I was prone to going into fits of rage. The large permanent bruise around my neck was the result of one of my rampages, as I tried to break free of my restraints. And just before I was allowed to be released, to complete missions, Miku had given me one last test.

I still remember how she extended her long, perfectly-painted teal fingernail and forcefully dragged it down my face, through my left eye and over my nose. "Remember, Rin," She had said as I screamed out in pain. "I have now blessed you with superior healing. You must pass this test if you want to be worthy to be called mine." And she had turned and left me bleeding on the floor. I had screamed out again and again for help, but there was no one around to hear me.

She had come back to check on me, a week later, and sure enough, the wound was already completely healed. However, the eyesight in my left eye never returned and I was left with a large scar on my face.

"Rin, I have a very important mission for you," Miku now said. "There is a group of lowly humans who have been trying to meddle with my research and my creations. They will be appearing at the temple that is a day's walk south from here. I want you to go there, and destroy every single one of them."

My mind hardly took in her words. I was craving for my supply of fresh human blood. In particular, I wanted the blood provided by Miku, which had some sort of special ingredient added to it. It gave me a rush of adrenaline and warmth. Miku usually kept me starved for weeks on end, so that I was weak and helpless to any order she gave me.

"Did you listen to my order?" Miku demanded angrily, at my lack of response. Her foot now slammed down on my head, and I hit the floor with such impact that my ears were ringing.

"Y-yes, Miku," I said shakily.

"I want you to set out immediately," She said, before standing up. I risked a glance up at her, from my position, prostrate on the ground. She returned my look, over her glasses, and I could see her eyes were filled with disgust.

She casually dropped the vial she was holding, and I scrambled to catch it before it hit the floor. When I looked up again, she was already out the door. "Thank you, master," I called out after her. Quickly, I opened the vial and gulped down the dark liquid contained inside. Sighing with pleasure, I felt the strength returning to all my limbs. I stood up and walked calmly out of my cell door. I had a mission to complete.

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**** As always, the characters and general storyline are not of my creation, but based on those in VOCALOID, and in particular, the song 'Karakuri Burst'. I do not own these characters, etc****


	2. Chapter 2

**Note: I have a way of dragging out my stories, so please be patient. More action shall be coming soon :3**

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"Len… Len! Let's go and play over there!" A smiling girl with shoulder length golden hair and vibrant blue eyes called over to me, extending her hand at me. Whenever I saw her, I knew I was dreaming. It didn't matter though; I did not want the dream to end. These dreams were my only connection to her, the only way to keep her memory alive.

"Len, come on! Let's go play hide and seek," she said again, insistently. Without waiting for my answer, she was already running off into the trees that grew on the borders of the orphanage. I couldn't help but smile as I watched her small retreating back.

It had already been a year since I was admitted into the orphanage. We were well fed and dressed, and our caretakers were kind people who tried their best to fill up the gaping holes left behind in the lives of the orphans, from losing their families. However, most of the children here never completely got over the heartbreak of losing their parents. It had been a huge shock to me when I came home from school one day to find two police officers at the front door of my house. The neighbours were standing around, whispering in low voices and casting me pitiful glances every now and then. They all kept their distances though; as if I was a bad omen they did not want to associate with.

"Hello. You must be Len," said one of the police officers. I stared up at him, wide-eyed and confused. "I'm afraid I have some terrible news for you," he continued when I kept my silence. "Your parents… they have just been killed. We are still investigating the means by which…"

His words had struck me like a thunderbolt, and I did not hear his accompanying explanations. At first, I was frozen. Then, I ran into the house, despite the officers calling me to come back. The sight that met me caused me to let out a strange sound which could not possibly have been my voice. There were human remains - I could not distinguish them in any way as my parents - all over the room. Someone had ripped them apart in the most brutal way and there were blood stains over all of the walls. I lowered my gaze to look upon the heads which had rolled into a corner. They had on them my parents' disfigured faces. The faces which were twisted with fear and pain, the hollow, lifeless eyes… I stared at them uncomprehendingly, and I could feel nothing. Time passed, until suddenly, without warning, I started screaming shrilly, uncontrollably, and I could not stop. The officers must have come in to take me away at some point. I do not remember what happened in the following weeks after the incident. I lived my life in a blur, eating little, not talking at all, and seeing nothing.

It was some time after before I realised I had wound up at an orphanage. Most of the kids there were like me, reserved and downcast. They had all already experienced hardships and abuse of some sort in the short periods of their lives. But there was one girl. _She_ was the only exception, the sunshine in the otherwise gloomy orphanage.

"Ok, I'm coming, Rin," I called out loudly and started to walk towards the trees.

I walked instinctively towards a small, flowery bush which gave out a strong fragrance. The flowers were pure white, just like the dress Rin was wearing that day. Sure enough, I could see her little feet sticking out from the bush. "Rin, I found you!"

She popped her head up, and there were leaves and twigs tangled in her hair. "No fair," she said, half-pouting. "You always find me."

I laughed. "Of course. If it's you, Rin, I will always know where you are." It was true. Somehow, I had a sort of sixth sense that always told me where she was. Just by looking at her face, I could tell what she was thinking and how she was feeling. I had found her easily in all the 231 times we had played hide and seek together. It may have something to do with our almost identical faces: the same golden-blonde hair and the round, blue eyes. I was drawn to her, and that was in part what gave her the power to draw me out from the deep, dark hole I had fallen into after the death of my parents.

At first, she was grumpy. I heard her muttering to herself, "I knew I should have hidden in that other bush…" But then, just as always, her face broke into the bright, cheerful smile that rarely left her face. "Fine, then it's my turn," She said. She turned to face the tree and started to count.

My eyes lingered tenderly on the back of her head for a moment longer, before I ran off to find a place to hide. This time, I chose to hide in the shadowy area in the corner of the premises, next to the orphanage's only building. It was sheltered from view by a grove of trees. It was the perfect hiding spot. I settled down happily to wait. It could take a while before she found me, knowing Rin, because she was prone to get distracted by everything she saw in the gardens. Faintly, I could hear through the walls of the building, the sound of the cook in the kitchen, the clanging of pots and pans. I heard the dorm head yelling at one of the children not to run around the room. I even saw two cheeky children, both wearing heavy packs, tip toeing to the fence which separated the orphanage from the outside. It was just another typical day…

As soon as I awoke, I knew something was wrong. The night was dead quiet, and the lights had not been turned on in the residential building. How long had I been asleep?

I got up cautiously, full of foreboding and walked around to the front of the building. The wooden front doors had been left open. Where was everyone? I walked in, my foot causing a splash, as I stepped into a puddle. Before I could examine this liquid, I heard a scream. "Let go of me! Where are you taking me?"

I could recognise that voice anywhere. The fear I heard in Rin's voice made my heart beat faster, and I turned quickly to run in the direction it was coming from. The danger of the situation I was in did not register in my mind, and I boldly entered into the dining room. There, stood two tall, dark strangers – a man and a woman. The man had slung Rin over his shoulder and they seemed to be retreating with her.

"Hey! Who are you?" I demanded, running towards them.

"Len!" cried Rin. She started saying something else but her voice was muffled as the man put his hand over her mouth.

The woman turned around to face me. In the darkness, I could not make out much of her features, but I could see an evil gleam in her eye. "We have no need for any more subjects. This one is of no use."

With that, she drew out a dagger which she had been hiding in her clothing. But the instinct to dodge her attack was not there. I was suddenly frozen on the spot, having noticed the bodies that were strewn on the floor. It was the remains of the other children. They had been ripped apart into pieces…just like my parents had been. No doubt, these were the very culprits behind their murder. Memories of that day, which I had almost been able to forget, came flooding back up to the surface. The feelings overwhelmed me and blocked out everything else that was happening at present.

"Len!" Rin cried again, from a distance, this time with desperation and concern. I jerked into awareness, only to feel searing pain across my face as the woman slashed at me savagely with her blade. I cried out in pain and surprise, my hand flying up to touch at my face, coming away sticky and warm. My other eye was becoming involuntarily teary from the pain and the pent up emotions which I had never let loose.

"Rin," I cried out weakly, but I knew it was no use. She was already gone. I reached out at the retreating woman but my hand grasped nothing but air.

"No! Rin!" I yelled out loud as I woke, this time, back in the present. I sat up quickly, my breathing was ragged and my heart pounding in my chest. It was the same dream which always haunted me. As usual, her face disappeared from my mind as it cleared from the fog of sleep. I could not conjure up her face, no matter how hard I tried.

I got up and washed my sweaty face at the basin. I stared at my reflection for a while trying to imagine her face from the image of my own. As soon as I started thinking about her, my head ached dully, causing me to become slightly dizzy. Where was she? I squeezed my eyes tightly shut, trying to bring out that connection that we once had. But it was no use. Shaking my head to clear my mind, I proceeded to put on my military uniform. There was nothing that I could do now, except perform my duty to protect the citizens of the country.

After that incident, I had enlisted for the army. I was tired of being weak. I was tired of being a play toy for the evil. Everything which had been important to me had been taken away. I now had but one goal: to destroy all evil.


	3. Chapter 3

**Note: This is a relatively short chapter. It's because I spent most of the day showering my dog xD**

**Enjoy~**

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As always, my long hair was wound into a bun, and secured down with a white piece of cloth. The large red rose, which I always kept with me, was securely fastened on my bun. I could not remember where it came from. I had always had it, and somehow, it never withered. I knew only that it was very important to me and I needed to keep it safe. The bandages that were carefully secured around my neck and face gave me confidence, by hiding the hideous scars, which I felt were symbols of weakness.

It did not take long before the little straw houses of the town I was to ambush came into sight. I felt a thrill of adrenaline rising within me; it had been a long time since they had let me out on a mission. Every muscle in my body felt cramped, and longed for action. I felt an indescribable joy at being allowed to explore the outside, and concluded that the only thing to do was to express my gratitude by fulfilling my master's orders. Besides, the bit of blood I had been allowed to taste had only made me realise how thirsty I actually was.

The bright, full moon conveniently lit up the path, as I lightly set my sandaled feet into the town. The wind brought to me the scent of the humans. I could sense them bustling around… In fact, they seemed to be coming right for me!

"It's her! The Karakuri has arrived. All men, at your stations!"

The men were hastily running into hiding spots, some behind the pillars, the others behind bushes and trees surrounding me. It seemed like master was right, they had been preparing for a fight with us. I laughed aloud in amusement at the cloves of garlic that hung on their necks, and the silver forks they were holding in trembling hands. My laughter seemed to make them nervous.

"Launch the basket!" One of the men yelled.

A heavy metal cage came swinging down from one of the trees. Curious at the mechanism of this trap, I watched it closely and allowed it to fall over me. The men started cheering, and some were moving out from their hiding places. I studied the cage for a moment longer, before I found the location of the weakness, at the joints which connected the top of the cage with the sides. I pulled out my gun to fire four quick shots at the bolts. The top slid off, and I jumped out effortlessly.

There was some silence, before one of the men stammered, "O-open fire!"

A barrage of bullets came hurtling in my general direction, as the men fired clumsily, blindly out of fear. My acute eyesight allowed me to see each bullet in slow motion, as clearly as in the daytime, and I dodged them easily. Some of the bullets went past me to hit the humans behind. As the humans started to fall, the ones that were left standing became enraged. Now they charged at me with their forks. Not wanting to drag out this battle any longer, I pulled out my gun and fired precise shots at each of my enemies. Within seconds, they were all either dead or dying.

I knew that I now had to find the other humans, who were hiding in the houses. After my attack, they would have gained valuable information for their research, and it would be troublesome for my master. I started walking from the scene, but one of the dying men grabbed my ankle.

I turned, expecting to see his expression of hatred, but instead, I saw his pleading eyes. "Please. Spare my wife and children. They were not a part of this… They thought we were crazy to go after you. Please."

I did not know how he had done it to me, but I felt a stab of pain in my chest. Groaning, I tried to shake him off, but his grip only tightened. "No! Let go!" I cried, and quickly fired a shot at his head. The blood sprayed on my white furisode and he was instantly dead. But his hand was still gripping at my ankle, and I had to forcefully yank his fingers off.

The job had to be done. I sniffed out the remaining humans in the town, and one by one, watched as they went down. It was too easy. They were so fragile. At last, the town was silent and dead. The ground was stained with pools of blood. It was such a waste. I knelt down and licked at the blood that was spilling from the wound of one of the humans. I felt the life that was pulsing in the blood; I could feel the experiences and the emotions, from that strange liquid that tasted so good.

It made me feel empty and lonely. I looked around at the lifeless town. I needed more. I needed to go and find more humans. I needed more blood.

A small part of me realised that I was having another of my bouts of insanity. But the urge was so overwhelming that my mind brushed aside this thought. The conscious side of me blacked out.


	4. Chapter 4

**Note: Finally, they shall meet! So I have been trying to stick with the video as much as possible, while still adding my own elements. Unfortunately, I do not understand Japanese, so I rely on the translations. Sorry if I have misinterpreted anything! I think it is too optimistic for them to just click and remember everything and become friends again. So we shall have to wait longer before they make up.**

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I ran at the monster savagely, running him through with my blade. It hissed at me, but slumped on the floor, defeated. That was the last of them. I coldly cast my eyes over the mountains of fallen bodies. The deceased monsters were going black, as if they were being burned. _Rightfully_, I thought, _by the flames of hell_. I carefully wiped my blade clean of the vile blood, before sheathing it and heading back for headquarters. The recent increase in the numbers of these monsters was worrying me. It felt as if a war was looming close on us. There was a lot of tension among the citizens - strict curfews had been put in place. The army had been busy all month eradicating monsters.

As soon as I arrived back at the station, I was summoned to the general's office.

"Len," said General Kaito. "I see you were as proficient as always at your assigned task."

"Thank you, general," I replied solemnly.

"Unfortunately, there is no time for rest," Kaito then said. "We have received reports of a recent attack. A whole town was wiped out in one night. There was but a single enemy."

I was instantly alert upon hearing the news. There was only one notorious killer who was capable of such an act. It had to be the doing of the infamous 'Karakuri'.

"So Hatsune and her gang are back at it, after months of lying low," I contemplated aloud.

Kaito gave a small nod. "They are starting to move and we need to take measures to stop them. We now need to capture Karakuri, before she does any more damage. I have arranged for you to set out with Megurine Luka." He gestured to the girl with long, pink hair, standing at the side, who I had not noticed before.

"I hope we work well together," She said softly, not looking me in the eye.

"But general, I am used to working alone," I put in.

The girl flushed slightly, but Kaito said, "This time, it is too dangerous. Luka is a very skilled tracker. She will find the trail of Karakuri."

There was nothing more I could say, so I saluted and excused myself. Luka followed me out, several paces behind me. I turned to her with some annoyance. "Please do not lag behind. I want to find Karakuri as soon as possible."

"Yes! Of course!" She said, looking flustered. She quickened her pace to walk beside me.

I felt a little lousy at the way I was treating her, but I had been unable to develop any sort of amity with anyone ever since the incident at the orphanage. I felt like a part of my heart had died with the loss of my friend, and I could no longer summon the emotions needed in a friendship.

We walked for some time in silence. At length, Luka said, "Um… I have always been hoping for a chance to work with you. I've heard so many stories of the monsters you have been able to slay single-handedly."

I glanced at her. She was still not looking at me, and her cheeks were bright red. "It's nothing special," I said. "It's part of our duty."

There was another length of silence, before she again spoke. "Do you mind if I ask you how you got that?" She gestured at the eye patch covering my right eye.

"It's from when I was eight years old," I said slowly, "I was weak then. It was from the same monsters which we are hunting now."

"And that was what made you join the army," Luka said softly. A fire suddenly ignited in her eyes. "We will not falter in the face of the enemy! We will destroy them all until not a speck of their existence remains! That is the motto of the army and…"

She trailed off when she caught sight of my stare. I found it hard to believe that sort of outburst could come out of her. I was considering if I should say anything more, when Luka pointed at some corpses on the ground.

"Look. Karakuri must have come through here," she said.

Karakuri had left a trail of destruction behind her. The pavement was stained red from all the corpses that were left behind. "Let's split up to look for her," I said grimly.

Luka nodded and we went off in separate directions. I ran through the streets, scanning for signs of life, but the town had been turned into a ghost town. The windows of most of the houses were broken. Finally, I arrived at a clearing, which must have been the town square. There, standing alone, with her back to me, was Karakuri. Her white furisode fluttered lightly in the wind and the moonlight cast a soft glow on her golden hair. Her long, white socks were painted with blood-red flowers matching the one on her head.

This was the first time I had come in contact with Karakuri, and I was taken aback by her beauty. There was something about her which seemed to draw me in.

Silently, I drew out my sword with my left hand, the hand I always used for slaying monsters. Normally, I would have charged right at my enemy, but today, something seemed to hold me back. She was emanating an aura of serenity, which in turn, calmed my burning desire to destroy.

I was still standing there when she turned around to face me. The single red eye that was visible to me gleamed with insanity and she was wearing a creepy smile. "Human. Have you come to challenge me?"

"I have come to make you disappear," I replied.

"Good, good!" She laughed in delight. "The others were so weak. They all fell like dominos. I hope you will give me better entertainment."

Without warning, she leapt into action. She swung her gun towards my head with tremendous force. I grunted as I threw out my sword to block her attack. She proceeded in her attack, the exhilarated smile never leaving from her face. I was forced to be on the defence as I tried to think of a strategy to counter attack. Karakuri was different from any other monster I had come across. She seemed to have some intelligence, to be able to plan ahead and use tactics. Indeed, I had never heard any other monster talk.

"What's the matter, human?" Karakuri teased. "Where is the fight I was promised?"

I jumped backwards, out of the range of her attack, before I made an effort at a counterattack. Her reflexes surprised me. It seemed as if she could predict where each of my strikes was going to be. I swung my sword towards her neck, stopping just an inch from contact. Her gun was trained on the side of my head.

I smiled humourlessly. "You are pretty good at your job, Karakuri."

"You certainly put up more of a fight than the other humans," she returned.

"Tell me, why do you do what you do?" I asked her. Her red eye widened and clouded over with some confusion as she thought about this. Taking advantage of this, I pressed my sword on her neck. The bandages were cut through, revealing an ugly purple bruise that stood out from her pale neck.

She did not react to this, causing me to glance at her face. The face which seemed strangely familiar…

An image of Rin, on the day she disappeared, flashed in my mind. She was laughing, as she pressed her forehead to mine. "Len, let me tell you about the dream I had last night!"

My eyes widened in shock. I had briefly seen her face, and it was that of Karakuri's. My whole body went cold, as if someone had poured a bucket of ice water on me. My legs felt like jelly and I sank to my knees on the ground. Luckily, at that moment, Luka arrived. She rammed into Karakuri, knocking her away from me. I sat there, dazed on the ground as the two girls started fighting.

My memory started replaying. "I want to share with you the happiness I felt from the dream," Rin had said, with her face still close to mine. "I dreamed that daddy had finally come home from the war. He and mummy came to take me back home. I begged for them to bring you back to our house so that I could show you all the pretty things in my room. Daddy laughed, and mummy bent down to give you a hug. After that, we all went home, and I was so happy…"

I giggled at the happy picture she had painted. Rin had never given up hope that her parents would come back for her, and her optimism rubbed off on me. "Thank you for sharing that with me," I said. "It makes me very happy. I want to give you this as thanks." I produced a red rose from my pocket. I had found it in the garden earlier, and it had immediately made me think of Rin. I slipped the rose in her hair, behind her ear. It matched her perfectly.

"Thank you, Len!" She leaned forward to give me a hug. My face felt a little hot and I was overly conscious of the places where her white dress was touching my arms. I wanted to stay like that forever…

A scream from Luka brought me back to my senses. Karakuri had successfully managed to knock her out. "Blood…I need blood…" Karakuri was muttering. "Humans…find them…" Her pupil was dilated with insanity. Why was I thinking of Rin at a time like this?

I jumped up to block her path. "Unfortunately, I cannot allow you to kill any more people."

She ran at me, but this time, she lacked coordination. I fisted her in the stomach, and she immediately slumped to the ground. In her unconscious state, her face free of the creepy smile and bloodthirsty eyes, she actually looked quite innocent. Her small body was battered and covered with scars. It may have been from the pity I felt for her, or maybe it was to do with my remembrance of Rin. For some reason, I felt merciful and I left her alive, on the ground. I picked up Luka, and headed back to headquarters.


End file.
